As has been well-documented by now, the New Jersey Devils enter tonight’s NHL Draft without a first-round pick due to the Timo Meier trade at the 2023 deadline. Still, they have six selections, beginning at 58th overall in the second round. Let’s set the table for the two-day draft, including where the Devils select, their organizational needs, and if they could dangle any draft choices in a trade.
Devils Draft Order
- Round 2 (58th overall)
- Round 4 (122nd overall)
- Round 5 (154th overall)
- Round 6 (164th overall), acquired from San Jose Sharks in Mackenzie Blackwood trade
- Round 6 (186th overall)
- Round 7 (218th overall)
Taking Stock of Devils’ Pipeline
The Devils still have a promising farm system, even after some key graduations over the last year or two. They have two blue-chip prospects on defense in Luke Hughes and Šimon Nemec, though both will likely graduate from prospect status sooner than later. But even after those two, the Devils have quality defense prospects coming up in Seamus Casey, Topias Vilén, and Daniil Misyul. There are decent depth prospects like Ethan Edwards and Daniil Orlov, who have a chance to play NHL games one day too.
At forward, the Devils have 2020 seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz waiting in the wings. The 21-year-old had an up-and-down 2022-23 campaign that saw limited playing time in the AHL with the Utica Comets due to injuries, plus being a healthy scratch in the NHL with the Devils more often than not.
Even though Holtz might not have the shine he did when the Devils made him a top-10 pick, he’s still their top prospect up front. Following him is Arseni Gritsyuk, who had another productive season in the KHL with Avangard Omsk, totaling 15 goals and 40 points in 65 games. He recently signed a two-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, which should help with his development before he makes his way to North America.
There’s a bit of a drop-off after Holtz and Gritsyuk, but the Devils still have quality prospects who are on the cusp of NHL roster spots, namely Nolan Foote and Graeme Clarke. General manager Tom Fitzgerald has spoken glowingly of Foote this summer, so it seems he might be in their plans for the 2023-24 season. Clarke, meanwhile, had a rebound season with the Comets, totaling 25 goals and 58 points in 68 games. He will have a shot at a roster spot when training camp begins in September.
Even outside the pro ranks, the Devils have Josh Filmon, who potted 47 goals for the Swift Current Broncos in the Western Hockey League (WHL). There’s also Petr Hauser, a 2021 fifth-round pick who seems to have made strides playing in Czechia, and Chase Stillman, a 2021 first-round selection.
Related: Devils 2nd Round Targets for 2023 Draft
In net, there’s Akira Schmid, though he’s getting closer to graduating prospect status after his stellar 2022-23 season. After him, there’s Nico Daws, who had a solid year with the Comets, posting a .904 save percentage in 33 appearances; however, he’ll be out until December after offseason hip surgery. Joining the pro ranks will be Tyler Brennan, a 2021 fourth-round pick who signed his entry-level deal a couple of months ago. There’s also Jakub Málek, who played well for Ilves in the Finnish Liiga, posting a .903 SV% in 22 games this season.
Devils’ Needs in the 2023 Draft
The Devils don’t have a significant need at the draft, but if I had to pick one, it’d be adding talent at forward. The perfect spot to do this would be at the 58th overall selection, and they should have some good choices there. If Lenni Hämeenaho is available, he could be among their targets. The same can be said of Koehn Ziemmer, Nick Lardis and many other potential second-round prospects.
Though they don’t need a goaltender, the Devils always take one in the middle of the draft. Goaltenders’ development curves are incredibly unpredictable, and you never know what the situation in net may be three to five years from now. Some intriguing prospects that should be available in the middle part of the draft are Adam Gajan, Jacob Fowler, Scott Ratzlaff and Yegor Zavragin.
The Devils will likely take a couple of defensemen at some point in the draft, but it’s hard to say when. The 58th-overall selection is possible if someone like Beau Akey is available, but I’d look to later in the draft for adding defensive depth, given the strength of this class comes at forward.
Devils’ Trade Options
The Devils already moved the third-round pick they acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Damon Severson sign-and-trade in exchange for Tyler Toffoli; that pick originally belonged to the Calgary Flames. Is it possible they deal another selection or two for NHL talent? Perhaps, but I’d consider that unlikely for now.
If anything, the Devils could acquire more picks today and tomorrow for some of their pending UFAs, most notably Miles Wood. Yesterday afternoon, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Devils had given Wood and his camp permission to talk to other teams about acquiring his negotiating rights ahead of free agency on July 1. The Devils probably wouldn’t get much more than a late-round pick for Wood, but it’s better than letting him walk for nothing.
If Fitzgerald does move some of the team’s picks at the draft, there’s a good chance it’d be to move up or down, depending on who’s on the board and what offers come to them. The odds are they’d trade down to collect more picks, so we’ll see how that plays out on Day 2 of the draft.
The Devils may not have their first this year, but that’s a pleasant change since it resulted in Meier. Most of their work should come on Day 2 of the draft, and if they play their cards right, they should add some quality to prospects to an already strong pipeline.
